Time
by MysticMew
Summary: A hundred years can be a long time and they CAN change the feelings in one’s heart, too. This is Arche’s story after she returns to her own time and the startling secrets she discovered waiting to be reunited with her friends.


Title: Time

Status: Alpha

Author: Matthias aka MysticMew

Email: Solarsenshigmx.de

(Plot) Beta-reader: -

Rating: PG-13

Category: Romance

Fandoms: Tales of Phantasia

Main Pairing: Arche/Mint

Timeline: A few years after the conclusion of ToP

Summary: A hundred years can be a long time and they CAN change the feelings in one's heart, too. This is Arche's story after she returns to her own time and the startling secrets she discovered waiting to be reunited with her friends.

Distribution: MSD (http:www.catstrio.de), ), Mediaminer ), ASMR ), Shoujo ). Anyone else, you can have it but please ask first, 'kay?

Disclaimer: Tales of Phantasia doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Namco, Nintendo and assorted companies

Story Disclaimer: Copyright©2004 by Matthias Engel

Note: () indicates change of POV to the listed character, if empty then the following will be done in third person, a question mark indicates a character who is either unknown yet to the reader or should stay that way for now. Indicated time/place if necessary

Foreword

Well, she (points at muse) wasn't going to leave me alone unless I did this, so here you are.

This one is going to be strictly Arche's point of view. I'll be jumping around a lot and won't actually stay with one scene too long since I really don't want to make this longer than I have to.

For all who are wondering, this is based on the original SNES version and the DeJap translation patch.

Now, on with the show. I hope you like.

Time

By Matthias aka Mystic Mew

Time can do funny things to you, I tell you that. Time will make us grow up, make us more mature and such things, they also say time can mend all wounds… well, at least to a degree. Time affects a great number of things. In fact, without time I doubt there would even be life. Why? Simple enough. Without the passage of time would we even be aware of ourselves, would we even be aware that we are alive. How could we live without ever dying. Those two things rely on each other. Like there is no light without shadow and vice versa.

Time also affects love… or at least they say that. Although… theories and opinions are differing. For some time cannot touch true love, for others time can change your feelings as it passes. Then there is that saying that time does not matter to the heart. What I think about that? Well, in my case, it probably is all of the above combined.

I sighed heavily, annoyed at my wandering thoughts. I sounded like a philosopher or something. Right. Could you imagine me spitting out such nonsense in a permanent fashion? Thankfully those thoughts were just a product out of boredom and well, personal interest. I had studied the damn topic for almost the last hundred years. What do you expect? And right now, I had nothing better to do when to sit around here in the branches of the ancient tree and watching the young woman at its base tending to it with loving attention. Well, fine. I had better things to do actually when just watch but I guess I was just too much of a coward to act.

Right Arche Klaine, the coward, who would have thought.

My lips formed another soundless sigh, my mind once again beginning to wander…

4253 

It's been twenty years now since Klarth had died. Didn't even make it past sixty the fool. I didn't have any idea why that was, only a lurking suspicion. I was pretty sure it had something to do with a case of overwork. He had been working on something important – at least to him – in his last years and seemed pretty determined to finish it fast. What? I've got no idea. Other than the occasional assistance in some minor quest for magical knowledge I wasn't that much around.

Not that I detested his company all of a sudden. No, certainly not. He and Miranda were always very nice and hospitable. It was nice to spend some time with them but too much only reminded me of the rest of our group we had left behind in the future. And I wasn't so good in hiding the sadness that invoked as the old leech obviously could. Not that he could fool me a second with his _brave_ attitude. He had been missing Cless, Mint and Chester just as much as I did.

Most of the time after our return to this age I was spending time my parents. While they were still not allowing half-elves into the village, there were other ways of meeting with my mother, especially thanks to the power-up Volt had given my broom. It was still working, amazingly enough. That made traveling a whole lot easier. It barely took me a day's trip to get from the Sylph's valley to Ymir and back. Seeing mother again after so long, with just the hazy memories of a child to begin with, had been a wonderful experience. She was a really kind person.

A few years ago father died as well. It was such a sad thing. Mother had even said that she might be able to get out of the village to visit. While she had been aware of father's growing age, she said it did not matter to her. She had known from the start that she would outlive him. I really wanted to curse the elves for being so narrow-minded. They took away the only few years those two could have spent together. And for what? Because they were too stuck up to explain to mankind the consequences of abusing magic.

Right now I was sitting in the small study of my house. I had given up the cottage father and I shared at the valley and sold it to someone from Euclid. Too many memories. With the money I had bought myself a small house near Alvanista but most of my time was spent in either the castle – I had become pretty good friends with Runeglom – Thor or in Edward's old place. I knew they were going to make it into a school soon and I was busy moving all the important, secret books and notes over to my place.

Why I was doing that? Edward had left some notes of his theories on time travel, both Klarth and I had worked on them for years. At first it had been a welcome diversion from the mundane life, something to occupy my mind other than my parents while I waited a century to meet my friends again. To meet Chester again… Over time though, the entire field had become rather intriguing and I had found some answers to questions that had had been left unanswered for a long time.

I had reached a point now where I could hardly advance much further and if, it was done in a much slower pace quickly inspiring boredom. I had never been a very patient student, never imagined I would do something remotely scholastic. Not that I viewed myself as a scholar. I was still a practicing mage, and a damn good one I dared to say without shame. However, I knew just as well as Klarth did that time magic was a dangerous field and someone had to know about it to meet the possibility of abuse. I wasn't going to teach that to anyone or only to someone I trusted, yet as tightly involved in the change of history as we had been I saw it as my responsibility to ensure that the timeline would now continue smoothly.

I put the book I was currently reading aside, not able to concentrate any further today. Especially on passages I had read over a dozen times without coming any closer to a solution. Rubbing my eyes from the strain of working for hours I stretched my tired limbs but made no move to get out of the comfortable chair. This was getting less and less satisfying and fulfilling. And it was still a good thirty years before Cless and the rest were going to be born if I calculated everything just right… which I was pretty sure I did or my efforts would have been a total failure.

_Great, Arche. You are probably the biggest expert on the element of time and you don't even know what to do with your own._ It was getting really boring… and lonely. As a half breed friends – real friends I mean – were a rare thing. I wasn't the only one with that problem. Outside from others of my kin it was hard to find anyone truly accepting you for what you were. Often you were met with either distaste or fear on the one and overwhelming awe on the other. To find someone honest who just wanted to be your friend for the person you are inside… I was really missing Lia. If she hadn't been killed by Demitel…

There was no use in worrying about such things. I had to find something to occupy my time with and fast. Excessive boredom only led to wandering, nostalgic thoughts and that was the last thing I wanted right now.

Present Time 

Time was really a hard concept to understand, to fully comprehend. I doubt that it was even possible. Even I who had studied so much about its lore, was not quite sure how it really worked. Our battle with Dhaos had created so many disturbances, so many irregularities on the timeline, one should think its effect much more far reaching. Not so much for me or Klarth, for us the events about a century ago were the present. There never had been another. But for the other three, for Cless and Mint, their present should have been greatly altered. And yet all that seemed changed – judged by the little I could tell only having a small amount of information about their lives before traveling back to our time – was the healthiness of the tree in which's branches I was sitting right now. The bright flourish of Mana was tangible to my senses, pure and strong. It was as if it had never been weakened in the first place.

As for the lives of my friends though. The best explanation I had been able to come up with all my time studying was that time had a way of protecting itself from a devastating paradox that could have ripped apart its very fabric. I never quite realized just what kind of effect we had had on history, what could have happened if somehow things hadn't been brought back to their proper path. In fact all that really remained from the disturbance now was the eradication of Dhaos from the timeline as well as the continuous existence of magic.

What I had seen unfolding before my eyes these last years had been straining my resolve to not intervene. I cursed my innate understanding of why things had to happen as they happened. Had I not known, I would have had at least an excuse for intervening, for making things better for Cless, Chester and Mint, to prevent all this unnecessary bloodshed. Yet, I knew. I knew that doing so had the very likely possibility of in the best case distorting the entire timeline and in the worst ending reality as we knew it. Time was something not to be tempered with. Not even for good reasons.

And so I stood by helplessly as Time sought to protect itself by claiming the lives that needed to be claimed in order to justify my friend's existence and involvement in its earlier alteration.

"So, it was you after all."

I almost fell down from my sitting place as the soft voice reached me through the vast foliage of Martel. I had been so lost in my thoughts I hadn't really paid attention to the girl underneath who had by now finished with her tasks. She still stood in the shadow of the tree's canopy and didn't exactly look up into my direction and yet it was rather clear that I was discovered.

Well, I had planned on confronting her today anyway, had I not? The separation had become unbearable as had keeping in that which had grown in my heart throughout the last years. As much as it scared me, I needed to get this off my chest, if only to lighten the weight for myself. I wasn't sure what I expected really. From her, from me. And that scared me even more… I couldn't turn back now though. I doubted my conscience would agree with it.

Hopping on my broom I descended the few feet downwards to ground level. As I finally stood in the low grass of the clearing surrounding the Yggdrasil, I glanced shyly at the other girl… woman. There was nothing girlish about her except maybe that certain spark of innocence, of purity that she had maintained despite recent events. I had been dreading and looking forward to this. And consequently, I felt rather awkward standing there, having been caught before I was really ready. Then again, if she hadn't caught me, I probably would have sat there all day without moving.

"Uh… Hi, Mint!" I greeted in an attempt of my normal cheerfulness. "How long did you know I was here?"

Mint Adnade smiled serenely but I could see a little sparkle in her eyes. "Oh, not too long."

Yeah, right. I should have known better than to use Martel as an observation place. The young cleric and the Life Tree were already connected on so many levels, sensing me up there shouldn't have been much of a problem. "Yes, well," I fumbled for words, cursing my sudden bout of shyness. _Get a grip, girl. You are not usually this closemouthed. Talk!_

"It's nice to see you again," Mint cut into my mental tirade and rewarded me with a pleased smile that made me wobbly. _Stupid hormones._ Blue eyes turned confused though as the other girl obviously realized something. "Um, why are you here? I mean, not that I'm not happy to see you but… I thought you'd first want to go and visit Chester."

Err, how to explain that one, how to explain… Oh sure, my intention was still the same but um, not so direct and… Gah! Over one hundred years in age difference and I couldn't get my mouth to work. Why did this have to happen anyway? It would have been so easy to do just what Mint had suggested. So easy… and dishonest. I couldn't deny anymore what had started to grow in my heart, what had started to change that I thought unchangeable. And now I was lost in the unexpected. Which was why I was here after all, right?

4299 

I wasn't sure why I was here again. Not really anyway. I had started to visit my friends as they grew up as a way of passing the time. Besides I had been curious, what Cless and Chester had been like when they grew up. And in a way I was also driven by guilt. Yes, guilt. Regardless of what Klarth as well as Edward in his notes had explicitly warned me about, I felt guilty for standing by and just watching all this when it would be so easy to do something.

I had been so startled that when I discovered the cause of why apparently nothing had changed by Dhaos' removal from the timeline for Cless and the others. Mostly because the alien mage wasn't exactly, completely removed. He was still a part of history. Some things had started to fall into place when I figured out that Dhaos, after he had escaped from us in the past, had not fled to the distant future – as we had all thought – but actually to the time where according to the notes Cless and Mint had received their ancestors had sent him to the first time around. At which point he was imprisoned by their parents and Tornix D. Morrisson, just like he was supposed to.

We had thought that we had actually defeated Dhaos back at the mausoleum but it seemed he had tricked us all and moved forward in time once more instead. So the Dhaos that we battled three times had to be one and the same… It made sense in a twisted way. Time was protecting itself. Dhaos had to be imprisoned, in order for him to be set free by events that eventually entangled Cless, Mint and Chester into the situation, leading the first two to end up in our time. If that didn't happen, they would have been to the past but at the same time wouldn't… Which made for a quite nasty paradox.

I didn't claim to understand it all. But I knew logically that there wasn't anything I could do. With my honed skills, I was pretty sure I could have made sure that when Dhaos appeared in this time he was not just simply sealed but destroyed. But who would have made him flee forward in time then in the first place? No one. And so I stood by, knowing that by allowing all that to transpire that would preserve the timeline, I would condemn an entire village and countless other lives, including my friend's parents to death.

Wouldn't you feel guilty?

I watched from the shadows as Merril Adnade finished tugging in a peacefully sleeping, twelve year old Mint. For a time I just stood there in the darkness of the room, waiting until I was sure that neither mother or daughter were awake anymore. Then I carefully crept forward until I was at the young girl's bed side, gazing at the sleeping form of my soon-to-be friend. This ritual had started some years ago. I knew that soon I couldn't do this anymore. Mint's powers were growing and soon I wouldn't be able to conceal myself from her properly. And it wouldn't do good for her to see me before she was even supposed to be meeting me.

I should be watching Chester or maybe Cless anyway, I should… But who was I kidding. I had spent more time watching Mint grow up than the other two. At first, yes, at first I had watched all three of them. Until I finally figured out that one little secret that changed so very much. Had I been younger, I probably would have only seen the advantage without the drawback, but age, maturity, didn't allow me that anymore. And I had felt sad for my friend. In all the years, I had never seen her complain about the lack of a father figure. She never even asked…

Carefully, as not to disturb the sleeping blonde, I stroked over her forehead. "Poor thing. You'll never know your real father." I had known what it was like to grow up just with one parent, being told the other was dead. That is why I had been so furious at first after finding out Dad had lied to me. But at least, now I had Mom back. I could at least claim to have known both of my parents. But fate would never allow Mint the same.

I had been so shocked after I found out. I wasn't even sure he knew, suspected maybe but…

After that discovery, I had been drawn back countless times here, times I should have spent watching my actual love interest Chester as I had planned too, and maybe sneak a peek or two at Cless who I still had some lingering feelings for. But somewhere in between now and then, things had changed. I had thought I would miss the idiot more when I returned to my own time. I had thought I would long for the day of our reunion the more time passed. Instead the feelings I had thought so strong in the final stages of our battle with Dhaos had diminished instead. And now… Yes, now…

A tear slid down my cheek but I didn't even realize it as it ran down my cheek. How could that had happened? Had it been there all this time and I just realized it now or had these feelings blossomed with the decades spent alone? It wasn't just pity, or compassion. It was much, much more… and it scared me. I was falling in love with my best female friend without her actually knowing me yet. There was no denying it. And I had no idea what to do now. I had never before given the notion consideration before. However, hadn't that been because I already knew, deep in my mind back then that Cless and Mint were supposed to be together?

That's what I had thought, that's what everyone had thought. But now, with the twisted, ironic truth that only I knew, things suddenly looked different. And I had myself let remember, all those small instance, the bonding that had instantly taken place between us even though we were so vastly different in character. Mint had become such a good friend and somehow, without me noticing, had wormed herself deeper into my heart when I had even realized. Until now.

What should I do? I thought frantically, the realization suddenly crystal-clear in my mind and heart. Before I could really further think about it though, I noticed the younger version of the object of my current dilemma stir. Blurrily she began to open her eyes. Startled I made for a hasty retreat, hoping she hadn't seen me. Well, considering that time itself didn't collapse afterwards she obviously hadn't. Or if, it didn't have such a great effect as I had feared it would.

I came back a couple of times though, much more wary now but unable to resist. My heart had set both feet firmly on that path now and as much as I tried, I couldn't turn back.

Present Time 

Silence hang in the air once again. I shifted uncomfortably in a low breeze ruffling my clothes. I usually was much more chipper. Flirting never was a problem and still came to me like second nature even though I had felt less of a need in all that time after returning to my own time. It had felt not so right anymore now that I had technically a boyfriend waiting for me in the future… However, flirting and actually declaring someone your deepest feelings were two totally different things. And Mint was so… innocent, so pure-hearted, I wondered if she'd even understand while I was stumbling over my words.

"Arche?" Mint began tentatively, breaking the silence.

I let impulses take charge. As I often did when I was embarrassed about something. When I had thought I had fallen in love with Chester I had been equally nervous and proceeded to cover that nervousness by taking action, the direct way instead of the slow path. I admit that for all my flirting and brash behavior in my youth, things like this had always made me nervous. Stronger connections, deeper feelings. I never quite knew how to deal with them and usually handled them after the fight of flight principle.

Well, I chose to fight, seeing no possible escape. Mint was too surprised to react as first. I had stepped forward, crossing the distance between us and lifting her chin in one moment, completing the maneuver in a flawless execution of the eventual goal. When seconds had passed without any reaction at all from the thorough kiss, awareness of just what I had done prodded at the edges of my conscience and I knew that I had probably screwed this up royally.

That was when I felt Mint kissing back. I was so startled I would have forgotten to breathe for a moment if that hadn't been such an unnecessary issue at the time. I had to steady myself with my hands on her hips from the sudden intensity as the other girl actually took the initiative, her tongue brushing against my lips… In response Mint's arms came up to wrap around my neck – I had gotten quite a bit taller after a century – and I yielded to her probing efforts.

I had honestly not expected this. I had not thought the often so naïve seeming girl capable of this kind of reaction. Frankly, I had been expecting all kinds of reaction, from rejection over disappoint to incomprehension. Mint had the kind of innocent and pure worldview that would make her often not understand bad things. Not that I thought love between two of the same gender was a bad thing. Not at all. In fact, elves were rather open-minded in that regard as I had learned. But humans, humans were another matter. They tended to go around, pointing fingers at what didn't fit into their view of things. Things like that, Mint usually didn't understand, which I actually envied her for. She looked at the world more from the eyes of a child that saw than that of an adult that had closed their eyes, exchanging simplicity for complexity which they tended to call maturity.

I really didn't expect that reaction and for awhile roles had been reversed and I could only response, blissfully swept away in an unexpected tidal wave of emotions.

We pulled apart gasping after a long time, at least it seemed like a long time. I had not even dared to hope this could happen. But it had and that left me staring at the beautiful face just inches away from mine.

Mint wasn't all that innocent now, was she?

"My angel," the blonde cleric whispered, more to her self than to anyone in particular but since we were so close I picked it up.

"What?" I asked confused. Still not quite comprehending what just transpired.

Mint grinned softly. "When I grew up, I used to dream of someone visiting me at night. A kind, protective spirit. Mother told me it had to be a guardian angel watching over me." I blushed, realizing that I had apparently not been all that secretive as I had hoped. "That was you, wasn't it?" Mint asked.

I saw no real need in denying it anymore. I was allowed to after all. From now on, the timeline would take its own path and there was nothing I had to watch out for. Of course, that still didn't quite justify my earlier liberation at peeking into my friends' lives. "Well, I…" I began flustered, my mind not yet working right. "That is…"

"I always used to wonder what the angel looked like," Mint mused, cupping my face with one hand gently and keeping her eyes locked on my own for a long while. "Now I know." I continued to stare at her in wonder, amazed at how… how simple, how naturally she was handling the situation. Wasn't she the least bit freaked. What was about her and Cless. She didn't know yet after all what I had learned… Mint giggled at my partial blank expression and to my renewed surprise placed another, this time fluttering light kiss on my lips. "I used to have a crush on that angel too."

I blinked, not expecting this at all. Had I with my at first unintended visits unconsciously cleared a path for what I only later learned my heart longed for? How ironic was that? There I had spent so many times lamenting over the unfairness of knowing so much about time and not being able to do anything to make things better. And now… I wasn't sure how to take this.

"Mint, I… I don't know what to say, really… What about…"

"Cless?" she asked, anticipating the question.

I nodded.

"You know, don't you. About him being my half-brother."

My carefully constructed image of Mint, the gentle girl with such refreshing innocent and a touch of naivety began to crumble away more and more. "What? How?" was the only thing that came out of my mouth. It had been such a shock when I learned that Cless' father had been responsible for Merril Adnade's pregnancy. Before today, I hadn't been sure how I was supposed to tell them that. They had been so close and all of us were certain they'd be married someday in the future.

"A week ago actually. Cless and I were looking through his… our father's house… or what is left of it, and found some old stuff, including an old diary. We drew our own conclusions," Mint admitted seriously and surprisingly composed. I would have expected more… well, I don't know. But I had thought she would take such news harder. After all it pretty much shattered the possibility between her and Cless… unless they didn't care about it… But that didn't make much sense either. Why should Mint have kissed me back then… which I was still having a hard time believing by the way.

I had to have looked rather incredulous too, as these thoughts went through my head. Mint separated, much to my displeasure, and went over to Martel where she sat down in the grass, leaning with the back against the trunk. Holding out one hand, her intentions were rather clear even without the worlds. "Come on, Arche. Sit down here."

A bit uncertainly I followed the request and settled against the massive trunk of the old yet vital tree. Again a period of silence elapsed that made me quite uneasy and I was rather glad than Mint decided to pick up where she had left off, answering that which I had been wondering about. "Even before that though, Cless and I… Well, we realized that what we felt for each other was a bit different from lover's love." Mint winked. "Not that Cless still wasn't a cutie."

I laughed, reliving some tension. "That's true."

We shared a knowing smile, this time in blissful silence. I was once more reminded how much I missed this. Those moments between us, when we had managed to slip away from the men. Mint was easy to get along with. She was rather uncomplicated and had an open ear for everyone's concerns. Sitting here now also made more clear to me that maybe those feelings hadn't just simply started to form after our departure. The seed, the seed had been planted earlier. I just never recognized it.

I hesitated to do or say anything, not quite certain if what just happened had just been a spur of the moment thing. Maybe she had just been carried away by the moment or didn't want to deliberately hurt me or something. I really had no idea. There wasn't a need for me to act though. Once again Mint took the initiative and I could only watch with a mixture of fondness and confusion as the younger girl rested her head against my shoulder, looking rather comfortable and without a care in the world.

"Mint?" I asked quietly as the blonde made no move to further explain herself.

"Hmm?" was the reply, blue eyes looking up at me with… affection.

"Aren't you, um, freaked? Confused a little? I just…" I trailed off, finding the entire situation more and more bizarre.

Mint seemed genuinely puzzled for a moment. Then her eyes lit up in realization though, her features softened into a warm smile and she nestled her head back against my shoulder. "Nah. I always wanted to be with my angel. Besides, it feels right. And Mother always told me that I should trust my feelings."

See, simple and uncomplicated. I could only stare in amazement at the human woman rested comfortably against me, her eyes half-closed, marveling at the strange twists time had played on our lives. I had felt so guilty previously when I had watched the events that eventually led them to meeting Klarth and my past self. It had taken EVERY OUNCE of self-discipline that I possessed not to fry the bastard who had killed Mint's mother under Dhaos' control. This was so weird. So unreal. So… so…

Ah, what the hell! She didn't freak, she kissed you back! What else do you want, Arche?

Closing my eyes I leaned my own head back against the ancient wood and slipped an arm around the younger woman's shoulders, letting my hand play with some blond strands. "If you say so. I always thought your mother was a wise woman."

It was true. What was I complaining? Unexpected or not… Had I not wanted this? Nearly a century spent alone, with only a few outside contacts, I basked in the closeness shared between Mint and I now. And I think I knew now that it was true after all. Love grew over time. Sometimes you didn't realize, sometimes you would spent your life not seeing it for what it really was. But I knew now. And Mint was correct. It felt right. Simple as that. I smiled at the irony. A century older, nearly two decades spent struggling to come to terms with all that I learned, including my feelings. And in the end, it turned out to be that easy, that simple.

"I love you," I mumbled, feeling at home for the first time in a long while. Right where I belonged. There wasn't a reply but I didn't need one. Not really anyway.

THE END

No, really.

Now, don't look at me. I know this was… um, don't even know what it was. Frankly the story started out as a lemon idea, warped into something more and then I began some weeks ago, it rested a little while in my hard drive and then I took it up again… It didn't quite turn out the way I expected to be honest.

I realize Mint was a little… off? Arche I pretty much explained. You know after hundred years and all that.

The problem with RPGs, especially such old one's is that there is a much left open about the characters, much left to interpret as we author's find suitable. It's not really that I choose to make Mint this way, the story developed more a life of its own at that point and so did the characters. I liked it enough, so I let it work out. Not exactly what I had planned but… oh well. There might be a sequel. MIGHT. With big, capital letters. I have something in mind but that all depends on free time etc., etc.

So bear with me, if the characters seem a little off. I take full responsibility for the idea of making Cless and Mint siblings. It is possible. We never got to know anything about Mint's father as far as I know, so I could slip in the possibility here.

That's all from me. Feedback, as always, is appreciated, welcomed and hungrily awaited. Good, bad, it's all the same as long as you try to stay constructive and don't cross a personal line.

There are too few Mint/Arche fics (actually there is barely any). Write more! Take this as the initiative.

Ja ne, yours

Matthias


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